Game apparatus.



P. ROGERS. GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 1, 1911.

7 1,030,330, Patented June 25,1912.

A A A "3! if .v 6 50' 56 a 5 9 IN VENTOR Beg 22min Eczyemst W ATTORNEYCOLUMBIA PLANOGHAPH 60-, WASHINGTON, n, c.

nnrrnn STATES PATENT oFrroE'.

BENJAMIN P. ROGERS, OF MILLVILLE, NEW JERSEY.

GAME APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN P. Roenns, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Millville, State of New Jersey, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which the following isa specification.

The main objects of this invention are, to provide an improved game,.and apparatus therefor, comprising a game board and game-pieces orplayers, and in which the players have a greater number and a greatervariety of moves than the players in the well known game of checkers,but a smaller number and variety of moves than the players in the wellknown game of chess, thus meeting the needs of those who find checkerstoo simple and chess too complicated; to provide an improved gameapparatus, comprising a game board and players adapted to be used incombination in playing a new game governed by rules similar to the rulesof military tactics; to provide an improved game apparatus including agame board and players, representing military men and weapons adapted tobe arranged and moved upon the board; and to provide other improvementsas will appear hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a gameboard and players constructed and arranged inaccordance with thisinvention; and Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5 are side elevations of the variousforms of players shown in Fig. 1.

One embodiment of this invention comprises a game board 1 preferablysubstantially square in planular outline and upon which are marked, orotherwise indicated, a plurality of playing stations, in this instanceforty-one, indicated by the numerals 1 to 41 inclusive.

The stations 1 to 4L1 inclusive are arranged in a square field upon theboard and in line equi-spaced rows parallelto opposite marginal edges ofthe board; the stations in each row being equi-spaced. Each of theoutside rows and the alternate rows between the outside rows containsfive stations each and each of the remaining four rows contains fourequi-spaced stations. The five rows of five stations each are arrangedto read five rows of five stations each parallel to any marginal edge ofthe board 1, and the stations in the four rows of the four stations eachare arranged opposite the spaces be- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 1, 1911.

Patented June 25, 1912.

Serial No. 663,803.

tween the stations in the rows of five each and to read four rowsof fourstations each parallel to any marginal edge of the board. As thusarranged, the stations also read in oblique rows of nine stations uponor along each diagonal of the board, and rows of seven, five, three, andone station respectively, upon each side of and parallel to eachdiagonal.

This improved game is adapted to be played by two opponents, and thesame board is provided with a set of fourteen players for each opponent,the players of one set being distinguished from the players of the otherset by having one set all black and the other set all light in color, orin any other suitable manner, one set being otherwise a duplicate of theother set.

Each set of players includes one player 50 representing a general, fourplayers 51, 52, 53 and 54:, preferably alike in size and appearance,representing cannon, four players 55, 56, 57 and 58, preferably alike insize and appearance, representing mortars and five players 59, 60, 61,62 and 63, preferably alike in size and appearance, representingmusketeers or infantry-men.

In playing this improved game, the two sets of players are firstarranged upon opposite sides respectively of the game board, the general50 of each set being arranged upon the middle station of the outside rowof five stations; the cannon 51, 52, 53 and 54: on the other stations ofthis row; the four mortars 55, 56, 57 and 58 on the neXt parallel row offour stations; and the five musketeers 59, 60, 61, 62 and 63 on the nextparallel row of five stations.

According to the rules of thegame, all of the players or game-pieces maybe moved diagonally. A general may be moved diagonally forwardly orrearwardly from one'station to any adjoining vacant station to escapecapture or to better his position, or diagonally forwardly or rearwardlyto any adjoining station occupied by an opponent player, to capture theopponent player, or may be moved either to the right or to the leftparallel to the edge of the game board to an adjoining vacant station toescape capture by the opponent. For instance, a general may be moved atany one play from station 39 either to station 34 or to station 35, orfrom station 30 to any an opponent player located on any one of thelatter stations, to avoid capture, or to better his position, and fromstation 39 to either station 38 or 40, or from station 35 to'eitherstation 34 or 36 merely to avoid capture.

Any one of the cannon 51, 52, 53 and 54 may be moved diagonally fromstation to station, forwardly or rearwardly in a straight .line as faras there is a free path, to better its position or to avoid capture, andcan capture an opponent player at any distance diagonally eitherforwardly or rearwardly providing the path is free between the cannonand the player. For instance, a cannon located on station 40 could moveto or capture an opponent 1 player on any one of the stations 10, 15,

20, 25, 30, 35, 36 or 32 providing the path between the cannon 53 andthe station or player is unoccupied.

Any one of the mortars 55 to 58 inclusive may be moved at any one playeither one or two stations diagonally forwardly or rearwardly .in astraight line, jumping over an intervening player if necessary, tooccupy an otherwise unoccupied station,

1 but must be moved two stations diagonally in a straight line forwardlyor rearwardly, in a single play, jumping over an intervening player, ifnecessary, to capture an opponent player, the capture being made uponthe station at the end of the move and not upon the intermediatestation. For instance, a mortar may be moved in a single play fromstation 34 to any one of stations 24, 26, 29, 30, 38 and 39, whichhappens to be vacant, but a mortar on station 34 could capture anopponent player only on one of stations 24: or 26, and a mortar onstation 21 could capture an opponent player only on stations 29, 31, 11or 13.

Any one of the musketeers 59 to 63 inclusive may be moved diagonallyforward one station at any one play until the musketeer reaches any oneof the opponent stations 1 to 5, or 37 to 41 respectively, and When sucha station is reached the musketeer is then immediately given the rangeof movement or, functions of a cannon, a feature of the game which issomewhat similar to the crowning of a player in the game of checkers. Amusketeer may capture any one of the opponent players when the opponentplayer is in the range of the musketeer.

The object of the game is to capture the opponent general and the rulesof the game provide that when a player has been placed in position tocapture the general on the next move, unless the general is moved orotherwise protected, the

opponent should be notified immediately, preferably by using the wordrange, so

that he'may move the general or otherj ect to capture by an opponentplayer, the game is considered a draw and cannot be terminated in favorof either opponent. To terminate a game in favor of either optime is notin a position in range or sub- 1 ponent, all chance of escape must becut 0d 1 from the general of the other opponent, and the general must bein range of an opponent player and thus compelled to surrender.

Although only a single form has been illustrated in which apparatus maybe constructed in accordance with this invention, it is to be understoodthat the invention is not limited to the specific apparatus shown.

It is also to be understood that this apparatus may be used in playingother games than the one hereinbefore described and that the rules ofthe game may be changed or modified without departing from the spirit ofthis invention or the scope of the appended L claims.

Having thus fully described this inven tion, I claim and desire toprotect by Letters Patent of the United States:

1. A game board having forty-one play- 4 ing stations indicated thereon,in combination with game-pieces adapted for use thereon, saidgame-pieces comprising duplicate sets of fourteen game-pieces each, andeach set being composed of four distinct kinds" of players and includingone of one kind, four of another kind, four of the third kind and fiveof the fourth kind.

2. A game board having forty-one playing stations indicated thereon, incombination with game-pieces adapted for use thereon, said game-piecescomprising duplicate sets of fourteen game-pieces each, and each setbeing composed of four distinct kinds of players and including oneplayer representing a general, four players representing cannon, fourplayers represent-ing mortars and five players representing musketeers.

3. A game board having playing stations :7

indicated thereon, and spaced over a substantially square field, saidstations being arranged in substantially parallel alternating rows offive and four stations each, and being arranged to read in alternatingrows of five and four stations each, parallel to any i marginal edge ofsaid field, all in intersecting diagonal rows and in combination Withgame-pieces adapted for use thereon, said game pieces comprisingduplicate sets of fourteen game-pieces each, and each set being composedof four distinct kinds of players and includin one player representing ageneral, our players representing cannon, four players representingmortars and five players rep- 10 resenting musketeers.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 28th day ofNovember, A. D.,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,030,330, grantedJune 25, 1912,

upon the application of Benjamin P. Rogers, of Millville, New Jersey,for an improvement in Game Apparatus, an error appears in the printedspecification requiring correction as follows: Page 1, line 44:, for theWord line read nine; and that the said Letters Patent should be readwith this correction therein that the same may conform to the record ofthe case in the Patent Ofiice.

Signed and sealed this 23rd day of July, A. D., 1912.

[SEAL] i o. o. BILLINGS,

Acting Oomom'ssz'oner of Patents.

